One Pan, Two Plates (15 page)

Stir-fries are a great way to get dinner on the table fast, with the added bonus that they’re healthful
and
delicious. There’s so much to love about this meal full of crispy snow peas, buttery cashews, and tender pork with a hint of lime. And the noodles . . . I can’t resist pork and silky hot noodles bathed in sesame sauce, and I bet you won’t be able to, either.

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START TO FINISH
35 minutes

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HANDS-ON TIME
35 minutes

...

serves 2

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2 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sesame oil, plus 1 tsp

¾ tsp cornstarch

2 tsp honey

2 tsp chili garlic sauce

8 oz/225 g boneless pork tenderloin (see “It’s that easy”), silver skin removed if necessary (see “It’s that easy,”
page 83
), thinly sliced, and then cut crosswise into strips

2 tsp salt

4 oz/115 g udon or lo mein noodles

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 red bell pepper, seeded, deribbed, and cut into ¼-in/6-mm strips

4 oz/115 g snow peas, trimmed and cut in half

1 green onion, white and tender green parts, thinly sliced

⅓ cup/50 g salted cashews

1.
Fill a 12-in/30.5-cm skillet with water up to about 1 in/2.5 cm from the top. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.

2.
In a bowl, whisk together the lime juice, soy sauce, 2 tbsp sesame oil, cornstarch, honey, and chili garlic sauce. Add the pork and toss to coat it well.

3.
Add the salt to the boiling water and toss in the noodles. Cook until al dente, about 10 minutes or according to the package directions. (To check, fish out a strand and bite into it. It should still be chewy, but not tough.) Drain the noodles in a colander set in the sink and toss them with the 1 tsp sesame oil to coat the noodles and help keep them from sticking.

4.
Put the skillet over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. When the oil shimmers, add the ginger, garlic, bell pepper, and snow peas and stir-fry until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add the pork with its marinade and stir-fry it until it is no longer pink in the center and the sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Add the noodles and toss the mixture until it’s thoroughly heated through, about 2 minutes.

5.
Mound the noodles, meat, and vegetables onto two warmed plates. Sprinkle the green onion and cashews over the top and serve hot.

it’s that easy:
Most pork tenderloins are about 1 lb/455 g, so you’re going to use about half of a whole tenderloin. You can freeze the remaining meat to use at a later date. For example, this dish is so good, you’ll probably make it again soon.

extra hungry?
Add about 1 cup/140 g thawed frozen edamame to the veggie sauté along with the other vegetables for an extra protein kick.

in the glass:
The spicy nature of this dish dictates a Gewürztraminer. Look for Snoqualmie Vineyards Gewürztraminer Naked. It’s actually quite dry, with just a whisper of sweetness.

Spicy Orange Beef Stir-Fry

with
SNOW PEAS
and
CARROTS

I think it’s fair to say that growing up in West Virginia in the ’60s, there weren’t lots of gastronomic opportunities. But my family did eat out frequently at a local Chinese restaurant, where my developing palate quickly became hooked on the exotic tastes and textures of Cantonese-American cuisine. If you, like me, have a regular and unrelenting hankering for spicy orange beef, you’re going to love being able to make this citrusy dish at home. The flavors are fresh and bright, and this version is
waaaay
healthier than the usual restaurant plate, since the meat is simply cooked up with the vegetables instead of deep-fried.

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START TO FINISH
45 minutes

...

HANDS-ON TIME
45 minutes

...

serves 2

........

8 oz/225 g beef sirloin, thinly sliced into 3-in/7.5-cm strips

2 tbsp soy sauce, plus more if needed

Freshly ground black pepper

Zest and juice of 1 orange (see “It’s that easy”)

1 tbsp dry white wine

1 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp chili garlic sauce, plus more if needed

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

2 green onions, white and tender green parts, thinly sliced

2 cups/280 g snow peas

Microwave steam-in-the-bag rice for serving

2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro

1.
In a medium bowl, toss the sliced meat with 1 tbsp of the soy sauce and a few grinds of black pepper. Set aside at room temperature.

2.
In a small bowl, combine the orange zest and juice, wine, hoisin sauce, sugar, cornstarch, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, and remaining 1 tbsp soy sauce and mix well to make a stir-fry sauce. Set aside.

3.
Heat a 12-in/30.5-cm skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil. When the oil shimmers, add the meat and stir-fry it until it’s almost cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tbsp vegetable oil, the ginger, and garlic to the hot pan and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the carrots, green onions, and snow peas and continue to cook, tossing the vegetables around in the pan, until they’re crisp-tender, about 2 minutes longer. The meat juices will cook onto the bottom of the pan, so if it threatens to burn, reduce the heat.

4.
Return the meat to the pan and pour in the stir-fry sauce, tossing the veggies and meat for another minute or so and scraping up the browned bits from the pan bottom. The sauce will thicken as it heats up. Taste and season with more soy sauce or chili garlic sauce if you want the dish saltier or spicier.

5.
Mound the cooked rice onto two warmed plates and top it with the meat and vegetables. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve hot.

it’s that easy:
For the best-tasting zest, look for oranges with a dimpled surface instead of smooth skin, and choose the heaviest oranges in the bin for the most juice.

extra hungry?
Instead of white rice, choose brown rice. It has more fiber, so it’s more healthful and keeps you full for a longer period of time.

in the glass:
An Oregon Pinot Noir from Firesteed has a lot of earthy red fruit to complement the orange and spice in this stir-fry.

Sweet-and-Sour Stir-Fry

with
BEEF, BROCCOLI,
and
MANGO

Eating out at the Chinese restaurant in our town was a real treat for me as a child. My mom always ordered the sweet-and-sour beef and everyone at the table would clamor for a taste. This version, though decidedly less ketchupy (sorry, Mom), has all the hallmarks of the original: a tart-sweet sauce enrobing crispy fresh vegetables and tender beef.

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START TO FINISH
30 minutes

...

HANDS-ON TIME
25 minutes

...

serves 2

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8 oz/225 g top sirloin, thinly sliced into 3-in/7.5-cm strips

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

⅓ cup/75 ml chicken broth

2 tbsp ketchup

2 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp chili garlic sauce, plus more if needed

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 small yellow onion, sliced

2 stalks broccoli, florets cut into bite-size pieces, tender parts of the stalks peeled and thinly sliced

1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, seeded, deribbed, and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger

½ mango, peeled and diced (see “It’s that easy”)

Microwave steam-in-the-bag rice for serving